Desmond Ridder led an impressive drive for Atlanta in his preseason debut and the Falcons settled for a field goal with 2 seconds left for a 13-13 tie with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Joe Gibbs Racing has declined to appeal the penalties levied by NASCAR that stripped Denny Hamlin of his Pocono Raceway victory and cost Kyle Busch his runner-up finish.

The top U.S. commander for the Middle East says the U.S. will keep the current 2,500 troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future, despite their shift to a non-combat role, and they will still provide air support and other military support for Iraq’s continuing fight against the Islamic State.

NASCAR will return both practice and qualifying to its weekend schedule for all three national series in 2022.

President Joe Biden is nominating two major Democratic donors to serve as ambassadors to Argentina and Switzerland.

U.S. officials say the military has launched more than a dozen airstrikes in the past week in support of Afghan government forces in their fight against the Taliban, a sharp spike over the handful that were done in the previous six weeks.

The U.S. says it launched several airstrikes this week in support of Afghan forces fighting the Taliban.

An Afghan official says a high-powered Afghan government delegation is to meet with the Taliban in Qatar to jump-start a long-stalled peace process.

The nearly 20-year American combat mission in Afghanistan was the United States’ longest war.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has relinquished his position at a ceremony in the capital of Kabul.

U.S. officials say the U.S. military will remain involved in the Afghanistan war into September, keeping the option of launching airstrikes against the Taliban to defend Afghan forces.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Scott Miller catches a 39-yard touchdown pass against Green Bay Packers' Kevin King during the first half of the NFC championship NFL football game in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)GREEN BAY, Wis. – Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ road magic have them heading home to the Super Bowl, the first team to play in one on their home field. Brady owns six Super Bowl rings with New England and now heads to his 10th NFL championship game with his new team. The Bucs (14-5) earned their franchise-record eighth consecutive road victory to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since their 2002 championship season. Tampa Bay then ran out the clock on the Packers (14-4).

WASHINGTON – Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Tuesday, meeting top leaders during the American troop withdrawal. The Pentagon said Miller met Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander in the country. There are now about 4,000 U.S. troops in the country, and military leaders say they will reach the 2,500 target on time. The Pentagon said the acting secretary met his military leaders to discuss the Taliban violence and the continuing U.S. mission there. He visited U.S. troops and military leaders at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath.

It’s just a matter of getting in.”The Bucs (8-5) took a step toward ending the league’s second-longest postseason drought with Sunday’s 26-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The Bucs have missed the playoffs 12 consecutive seasons and haven’t won a postseason game since their Super Bowl run 18 years ago. “If we want to get to the playoffs, we’ve got to win these games. Dalvin Cook rushed for 102 yards and Minnesota gained 162 overall on the ground. The third-year pro gained 80 on 18 carries against Minnesota to move closer to his first 1,000-yard season.

The top U.S. military officer has held an unannounced meeting with Taliban peace negotiators to push for a reduction in violence in Afghanistan. Milley held an unannounced meeting with Taliban leaders in Doha, Qatar, to discuss military aspects of last February’s U.S.-Taliban agreement, which was intended to set the stage for direct peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. In his talks with the Taliban on Tuesday, Milley urged a reduction in violence across Afghanistan, as senior American officials in Kabul warned that stepped-up Taliban attacks endanger the militant group's nascent peace negotiations with the Afghan government. Speaking in the same interview, Ross Wilson, the ranking American diplomat in Kabul, said he also sees growing risk from Taliban violence. “Military commanders on the ground are now starting to do things that are not conducive to peace talks and reconstruction and stability,” Miller said.